The Crowells

What have we been up to?

2011-06-23T15:54:00.011-06:00

The Living Planet Aquarium.

Karter loved the penguins!

The Zoo

Las Vegas

Karter spent most of his time hanging out in the pool, he loves swimming!!
The dolphins at the Mirage

We have a season pass to the aquarium and the zoo so I am sure you will see many pictures from there. Before Kody started his residency we wanted to go somewhere and just relax so we decided to go to Las Vegas, we had a lot of fun!

Kody's Graduation

2011-05-25T10:16:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday was Kody's Graduation. He is officially Dr. Kody R Crowell, M.D. We are so proud of him! This June he will begin his residency program in pediatrics at Primary Children's hospital here in Salt Lake!!

Missouri

2011-05-23T21:33:00.005-06:00

We had the opportunity to go visit my grandparents in Missouri. We had a blast, Kody fished all day long, Karter had fun exploring and playing with cousins, and I had a fun watching them and hanging out with family! We love going to Missouri!

Karter going fishing on Grandpa's lake, all he wanted to do was touch the water!Kody caught a 22 inch bass!

My two favorite boys!!

Easter

2011-04-25T11:21:00.003-06:00

We had a great Easter. We spent Saturday with Kody's family, Sunday morning we had to speak in Church and then went to my parent's Sunday afternoon. Doesn't Karter look adorable in his Easter outfit?!

Karter 6 Months

2011-04-07T08:47:00.005-06:00

These are Karter's 6 month photos I took about 6 weeks ago! It's amazing how fast they grow! We love this happy little boy, he always has a smile on his face!!

For Sale

2011-03-29T10:40:00.003-06:00

Kody and I are trying to sell our townhome so we can be closer to the hospital. We are selling it on our own so if you know anyone looking for a place let them know about us. Because we are not using an agent we are able to sell it for a lot less, it is a fantastic deal!! Get more info here:

http://www.homeonthephone.com/758

KSL Ad

6 Month Check-Up

2011-03-09T17:07:00.004-07:00

Today Karter had his 6 month check-up. He weighs 18 Ibs and 1.4 ounces (70 percentile) and is 27 inches long (75 percentile)! He is such a tough guy, he hardly cried and gave me a kiss after he had his shots!

Karter is so much fun! He is a rolling machine, he rolls all over the place and gets into everything! He is the happiest and most bubbly little boy. He laughs all day long at mom being goofy and loves to wrestle with dad. Oh we love him SO much and are so happy to have him in our lives!

My first haircut!

2011-02-25T13:52:00.002-07:00

Yesterday Karter had his first haircut! The top of his hair was getting super long so we decided it was time to cut it. Karter also turned 6 months old yesterday, crazy how fast time goes by! I am working on his 6 month pictures today and will post those sometime next week! We sure do love this little guy!!!!

Before

After:

I love peas!

2011-02-25T13:46:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when we feed Karter peas!!

Oh boys!

2011-01-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

Portland

2011-01-14T13:00:00.006-07:00

This past week we were able to head to Portland. Kody had an interview at the Children's Hospital and Karter and I decided to join him. We had so much fun, Oregon is such a pretty state and it's January!!! Here are some things we did:

Washington Park

This area is covered in roses during the summer.

Portland Temple

Seaside Beach. This is such a cute little town on the coast.

They had six candy stores along one road...Kody was in heaven!

This is a chocolate covered twinkie with a piece of bacon covered in maple on top and yes Kody ate it!
Astoria - such a pretty town. This is where the Goonies was filmed.

It was so windy Karter didn't know what to do so he tried to lick the wind! It was so funny!

Powell's Books - The biggest book store in the world. It has four levels and takes up an entire block.

All I want for Christmas is...

2011-01-14T12:42:00.003-07:00

...wrapping paper! We had a fantastic Christmas. Karter enjoyed opening all of his presents but really just wanted the wrapping paper!

4 month check up

2011-01-07T21:37:00.003-07:00

Yesterday Karter went to his 4 month check up. He is one healthy baby boy. He weighs 16 pounds 4 ounces (75th percentile) and is 25.5 inches long (70th percentile). I started Karter on rice a few weeks ago because he just eats all the time, when we went to the doctor she suggested to go ahead and start him on vegetables. Today we started with sweet potatoes and he loved it. He is such a fast learner he hasn't had any problems with eating from a spoon and gets very impatient if you don't feed him fast enough! We love Karter so much I can't believe how much he has grown!

Sometime, when I get a chance, I will post pictures from Christmas and other ones I have!

Update on us

2010-12-16T19:34:00.006-07:00

I am a slacker! I haven't posted in over a month! Things around here have been busy getting ready for Christmas.

Karter is growing everyday. He loves to slobber, jabber, and giggle all day long! He is probably the happiest baby I have every seen, he not only smiles all the time he has such a bubbly personality too. He has learned to controlled his hands for the most part and grabs everything (including my hair), he is also sitting up with a little help.

Nothing really new with me, just adjusting to being a full time - day and night mom. Kody is busy doing interviews all over for his residency program, we find out in March where we go!

That's just a quick update on us!

Wheeler Farm

2010-11-12T18:25:00.002-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to Wheeler Farm.

Carving Pumpkins

2010-11-12T18:03:00.002-07:00

Carving Pumpkins

The Two Draculas - Karter and his cousin Bridger

Mr. Smiles

2010-10-29T14:52:00.002-06:00

Karter is such a happy baby!

He smiles all the time, which makes us smile all the time!

He has even bigger smiles but it's hard to catch his smiles on camera!

Sorry the pictures aren't that great, if he sees the camera he stops smiling and just stares at it!

Baby Dracula

2010-10-19T12:38:00.003-06:00

On Saturday we went to my mom's trunk -or- treat. I am so proud of myself, I made Karter's Dracula costume! Isn't he so cute! Ever since he was born we wanted Karter to be Dracula for Halloween because of his widows peak hair line, unfortunately he has lost so much of his hair you can't really see it!

Gardner Village

2010-10-12T14:05:00.004-06:00

Last weekend we went to Gardner Village and walked around. Our little boy is getting so big!

Blessing Day

2010-10-08T14:22:00.003-06:00

On September 26th we blessed Karter. It was such a special day! Not to mention he looked so cute!!!

Baby Karter

2010-09-29T10:53:00.006-06:00

Here are some pictures of Karter I took a few weeks ago!

He has already changed so much!

2 Week Appointment

2010-09-12T15:46:00.002-06:00

Karter had his two week appointment on Thursday. He is one healthy boy, his weight was at 9lbs 2 ounces (75th percentile) and is height was 21.5 inches (50-75th percentile). He is doing great and is starting to realize slowly that night time is for sleeping! I am finally feeling like I am healing and have some energy again!

Labor Story

2010-09-03T13:12:00.008-06:00

Sorry this is long and detailed!

We left for the hospital at 6:45 a.m. to be induced on Tuesday August 24th. We arrived at the hospital and they had a room all ready for us. At 8:00 a.m. they started the pitocin and at 8:30 a.m. my doctor came in and broke my water. I invited my mom to be at the delivery due to the fact that Kody would be delivering the baby. I wasn't going to have her come until later that day but once the contracts started to come, all I wanted was to have my mom there. When they checked my in the morning I was dilated at a 3 and was 80% effaced, everyone kept telling me that this would be short labor because getting to a 3 was the hardest part, little did they know.

I didn't want to get an epidural until I got to a 5 because it can slow down labor if you do it before then but once I had gotten to a 4 I said forget it give me that epidural!!! The resident anesthesiologist came in and started the epidural, I am thinking she hadn't done very many because she had to try at least 5 times (hitting a nerve every time) before the attending came in and did it. It was hard to sit still during contractions while they were doing it but soon after I started to loose feeling below my waste so it was worth it. A few minutes after the epidural was placed I started to feel nausea, I went pale and my blood pressure decreased dramatically. I guess that can be an effect to the epidural, the anesthesiologist came in and decreased the epi and I started to feel better. They then increased my pitocin. I guess decreasing the epi and increasing the pitocin is not a good combination, after some time (I can't remember how long after it was) I started to feel some really painful contractions, they got really bad I was feeling the whole thing. They told me the anesthesiologist was in a C-Section and would be in as soon as he could, that wasn't good enough for me I demanded he come in and increase the epi. He finally got there and increased it and everything went numb again. The rest of the day was a waiting game.

At around eight or eight thirty (I can't really remember) the resident came in to check me (this resident is one that I don't really like, when we were going through fertility she was with our fertility doctor and lets just say I am not a fan of this doctor) after she checked me she said that I was at a seven still and had been at a seven for the past four hours. She looked at me and said so you are going to need a C-Section and left the room. I started to freak out, she didn't really elaborate and I really wanted to do a vaginal birth. The nurse saw that I was freaking out and paged my doctor to come in to further explain. My mother in the mean time called my dad to come in and give me a blessing. My doctor came in and told me that if I don't get complete soon that a C-Section is the most likely out come. He knew how much I wanted to do a vaginal birth so he said he would help me out in any way (I have a fantastic doctor), he said he would come check me again in 15 minutes. My father got there right after the doctor left and he and Kody gave me a blessing. After the blessing my doctor came in and checked me, 30 minutes after the resident had checked me I had become fully complete and was ready to push. Talk about a testimony booster!

I began pushing at around 9:00 p.m. it was really gruelling, I was already tired and hungry. I pushed for about an hour and forty-five minutes but he just wasn't budging. Dr. Sharp said his head wasn't making it past my pelvis bone. We had two options: try delivery with forceps, but knowing I will tear or do a cesarean. I didn't know what to do, I was sick of making decisions and just wanted the night over. I didn't want to do the forceps and tear and end up having a C-Section anyway and have to heal in two spots but I really wanted a vaginal birth. My mother suggested that I try the forceps and if I started to tear and nothing was happening to do a C-Section, I agreed.

Everyone got ready, there were about 20 people in the room, I allowed a bunch of residents and students to be a part of it and the NICU was there because Karter had swallowed a bunch of fluid. They got the forceps in and the rest is blurry, I remember them getting him down far enough so Kody could pull him out and then I saw his little bottom come out. They rushed him over to the NICU team but nobody told me what was going on, I yelled at Kody to see if everything was ok, he yelled back sorry yes he is fine and healthy. It was a very hard and amazing experience.

After he was delivered they had to stitch me up, I received a third degree tear. As they were stitching me up my epidural ran out so I could feel a lot of the stitching, it was painful. It took them about an hour before they were done. I had to get a shot of something in my IV because I was in so much pain and it made me so loopy, I said to the nurse "I feel like I'm high," she looked at me and said "you look like you are high."

They underestimated how much blood I lost during delivery and Thursday they decided to do some labs and found that my hemoglobin levels, which dropped to 23. I wasn't released until Saturday and they had to do a blood transfusion on Friday.

I am started to feel better, I still get tired really easy and can't walk or stand for very long without my legs feeling like they are jello. I love Karter so much and I would experience everything again just to have this little guy!!!

Four Years Ago...

2010-08-31T12:20:00.002-06:00

I married my best friend and love of my life four years ago today!!! I love you Kody, Happy Anniversary!

Karter Taylor Crowell

2010-08-25T14:33:00.011-06:00

8 lbs 9 ounces - 21.5 inches long

born on August 24th at 10:24 p.m.

We went to the hospital at 7:30 a.m. to be induced; after 13 hours of labor, two hours of pushing and needing to use forceps this guy finally greeted the world. He is doing fantastic and I am only having one child ;) We are so in love with this guy!!! Thank you Kody for being such great support and thank you so much mom for being there for me I couldn't have done it without the two of you!! Oh and my dad, thank you for the blessing!!

Nope....

2010-08-22T13:31:00.002-06:00

The little guy is still not here! We are anxious to meet him but I think he just loves his mom so much he doesn't want to leave!! :)

We had a lot of fun (well I did, Kody worked all week) this past week, my fantastic cousin Jamie was in town with her little family and it was so much fun to just hang out with her. We didn't do much except hang out at my mom's house, there is only so much a 9 month pregnant woman can do! I was hoping that our little guy would make an appearance so he could meet his second cousins but I think there was too much noise going on at the house and it scared him! Little Jacob was so cute it was fun to meet him, he enjoyed talking and smiling at my belly I hope he was telling the baby it's ok to come out!

The best part was Kody felt really sick on Friday night and has been sick the past couple of days. Just what we need, a home full of sick people just in time for the baby. I set a bed up in the office and have quarantined him in there, I hope he gets better before the baby comes and I mostly hope I don't get sick!

Thanks Jamie, Josh, Matt and Jacob for coming down to Salt Lake and spending some time with us!

39 Week Appointment

2010-08-18T11:23:00.001-06:00

Dilation: 2
Effacement: 80%
Station: -1

My doctor was going to induce me this week but after my appointment yesterday he is positive that I will go on my own sometime soon and he would rather me do that. So we will see what this week brings!!!

38 Week Appointment

2010-08-10T09:53:00.002-06:00

Dilation: 1.5
Effacement: 50%
Station: -2

This guy is slowly moving along! I thought for sure he would be early but I guess he has decided that he isn't in a rush to come out!!

37 Weeks - Picture

2010-08-04T12:47:00.005-06:00

On Sunday we did family pictures so we would have an updated one before Jeff left. Kody has been bugging me the entire pregnancy to take a picture, I don't feel very cute so I didn't want one. Well he finally got one, the first and last! :) Here I am at 37 weeks. I'm huge!

Elder Goldhardt

2010-08-03T21:48:00.001-06:00

My baby brother Jeff left for his mission today. He will be serving the lord in Brasilia, Brazil. He will be going to the MTC in Brazil so he went straight to Brazil today. It was hard to say goodbye but we know he will be an amazing missionary!! We love you Jeff!

cribs, diapers and swollen feet

2010-07-30T20:43:00.005-06:00

I keep getting asked how we are decorating our nursery, to be honest we aren't decorating it very much. We're not sure where we are going to be next year so we thought we would keep the baby's room simple. We decided (or I decided :) on a simple color scheme, brown and sage. below are pictures of our crib bedding set.

If you know me well enough you know that I am a planner and like to be prepared. Well Kody wanted me to post pictures of my "stash." The changing table is full of lotions, washes, diapers, wipes, nursing pads, and so forth.

Oh but that's not all...underneath the crib is completely stacked full of diapers (all different sizes). By the way I haven't paid more than $4.00 on a pack of diapers!

And lastly, my poor little feet. I have been swelling so bad with this pregnancy. My doctor order me to use compression socks, which work when I wear them. Today I didn't put them on (they look funny with shorts) and this is what my feet looked like at the end of the day, I had them up most of the day so they aren't the worst they have been!

If you look above my little toe you can see Kody's finger print.

Kody sweetly said "I think your ankles are still smaller than most women!"

36 Week Appointment

2010-07-29T09:53:00.005-06:00

I went to the doctor this morning. Everything looks great, the baby's heart rate was good and strong. The doctor checked me today and I am only 20% effaced and not dilated at all! :( We thought he would be coming early with all the scares we had, but I think he has decided to stay in there for awhile!

Today we also met with a pediatrician. Kody worked with her when he was on Peds and really liked her, she seemed great - we have a pediatrician!

I think we are all ready to go, the nursery is set up, the hospital bags are packed, I have a bunch of freezer meals so Kody doesn't starve...now if I could just convince my body and the baby!

Gone Fishin'

2010-07-14T11:37:00.004-06:00

A while ago my family went up to mirror lake for a family campout, Kody and I had things going on during the weekend so we weren't able to stay (plus camping at 8 months prego doesn't sound fun). But we did go up for a couple hours so we could go fishing. For Christmas I got Kody a bunch of stuff for fly fishing and he had a blast trying it all out! :)

(Kody needed a little help from Jeff)

I used my little camera so the pictures aren't that great.

It was so nice until it started raining. Jim and Kody were out in the middle of the lake so they got drenched!

34 Week Appointment

2010-07-13T08:46:00.002-06:00

I had my 34 week appointment today. Everything is looking good, I am measure at 34 1/2 and the baby's heart rate is perfect!

It makes me laugh when...

2010-07-07T14:21:00.003-06:00

people assume, because I am pregnant with my first child, that I am only 20 or 21 and have been married for about a year. Their faces are priceless when I tell them my age and that I have been married for four years!

Only in Utah!

32 Week Appointment

2010-07-02T09:36:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I had my 32 week appointment. We had a little scare on Monday, so it was nice to go see my actual doctor and make sure everything was ok.

On Monday night I started to have contractions, which is normal for me but then they started to become regular and VERY painful! It's normal to have the Braxton Hicks contracts where your uterus tightens up but it's not normal for them to be painful. My contractions were about 5-7 minutes apart, we called OB Emergency Services and they said to come in right away. By the time we got there my contractions where starting to go away but they hooked me up to see if everything was ok. They baby's heart rate was fine and he was starting to become very active again. They hooked me up on an IV (I was really nice and let the nursing student do it, man that was one of the most painful IVs I have every had!!), checked my cervix and ran some tests. My cervix was closed and thick so that was good. The thing that scared them was that they did a fetal fibronection screening and it came back positive. I guess this test sees if you will go into labor anytime soon. They suggested to put me on steroids, just in case I go into preterm labor so they baby's lungs could get developed. Because I had an appointment on Thursday with my doctor and my cervix was closed I decided not to do that. They told me to come back if I had any regular contractions or fluid and they would have to start the steroids. We agreed and were finally discharged at 12:30 a.m.

I had a few contractions the rest of the week but nothing regular. At my appointment my doctor checked my cervix and nothing had changed, which is a really good sign. He suggested not to start steroids but to just watch my contractions. The doctor said that I am having preterm contractions, not preterm labor. He said that if I have more than 6 contractions (painful or not) in an hour to go in immediately and have my cervix checked. If I dilate even a little bit he said he would start the steroids and put me on bedrest. I guess I just have an over active uterus that likes to contract, which is fine as long as I don't dilate.

Kody said it is probably a good think they didn't start you on steroids, that's just what our already strong kid needs. He would probably punch his way out of there! :)

Everything else looked good, I'm measuring at a 33 and his heart rate is strong!

Little Spencer

2010-06-18T13:53:00.001-06:00

My sister-in-law had little spencer back in May and I did his pictures a few weeks ago. He is so cute and has been through so much and he is only a month old! See more picture here!

30 Week Appointment

2010-06-17T12:41:00.002-06:00

I had my 30 week appointment today, everything looks great. The baby's heart sounds good and strong! The only problems they found were my hematocrit was low so I have to take an Iron supplement and my swelling is getting worse so I have to wear compression stockings, that will be fun! :) Also, my test for the glucose screening came back normal.

The joy of Med School Expenses!

2010-06-10T13:30:00.001-06:00

Many don't realize the expenses that come with med school! Med school is by far the most expensive schooling there is out there! One of my coworkers was complaining about her husband's tuition, he just graduated from the University of Utah's Law School. I asked her how much it was, she told me and the only thing I could think was wow I wish our tuition was that low!

Don't get me wrong the last year and a half we have been VERY fortunate with half tuition due to me working at the University. Besides tuition (which has increased every year Kody has been in school) there are just so many unnecessary fees, plus he has to pay for books, medical equipment and TESTS! The tests are probably the most ridicules! Kody has to take the board exam, there are three exams spread out over the years. He took step 1 last year and if I remember right it was around $600.00. Well he just signed up for step 2, are you ready for this it was $1,500.00! Plus the best part is he has to take it in Houston, that's right if paying that much wasn't enough there are only a couple locations you can take the test! So on top of the $1,500.00 we have to pay for a round trip flight, a hotel plus food.

Sorry, I just had to vent a little :)

By the way if you are wondering the average student that gets done with med school is in debt $250,000.00! Yep we will have a mortgage payment when Kody is done but no home!!

count my blessings....count my blessings...

28 Week Appointment

2010-06-03T11:44:00.003-06:00

Today I had my 28 week appointment. Everything is good, the baby is doing great! I did my glucose screening test today (by the way the drink is disgusting!) and I should get those results back at my next appointment. My doctor was a little concerned about my swelling so he ran a couple extra tests with my blood draws but thinks everything should be fine. I also got my RH shot today because I am 0-, yes it would have been nice to know that they give you the shot in the hip!!

Everything is great and the baby is more active than ever! He is at the point where he has a sleeping schedule and he just loves to wake me up with all of his wiggling at 5am but hey I will take it over being awake most of the night! He is constantly getting the hick-ups and boy they are strong, you can see my belly move every time!

Kody started his rotation in inpatient Internal Medicine. We both were not looking forward to it, long hours and on call at least twice a week! But he only has this rotation for 3 weeks!

Everything else is great!

Almost there!

2010-06-01T09:22:00.000-06:00

I am finally in my third trimester! Only 12 more weeks to go!

Bound to be a Baseball Player

2010-05-14T09:22:00.003-06:00

According to Kody our little guy is practicing to be a baseball player that is why he is so active! From the moment I started to feel this little guy I thought he was way more active than most babies, but I have never had one before so I thought maybe not. When we had our ultrasound done the tech told us that he was way active, my doctor has even told me how active he is, whenever he tries to find the heartbeat at my appointments it takes awhile because he is moving so much! Well it was confirmed on Monday how active this guy is. On Monday I had a gush of fluid come out, realizing I hadn't peed my pants which is common among pregnant women I called the OB emergency care and they told me to come in immediately. Well after going to the emergency room, which wasn't that helpful, and to my doctor we discovered that this guy kicks so much that he punctured a little hole in my sack. Everything is fine now, they said that the hole is healing on its own and because I had more than enough fluid the baby is ok. It could have been a very scary situation but luckily it wasn't. When I saw the NP on Wednesday she said that she doesn't really see this happen until a baby is much further along but she said that he is just really active and strong! I just have to keep it easy and watch things and make sure I don't have any more fluid.

Oh and the best part, when I went to the emergency room they put a monitor on my belly to monitor the baby's heart rate. Well he somehow knew where it was because every time they would find his heart rate you could see the monitor jump up from him kicking it and it would move off. :)

Baby Olivia

2010-05-11T13:17:00.002-06:00

My sister Mindy had her little baby girl just over a month ago. She looks and acts like a 4 month old baby rather than a newborn, but hey she did weigh 10Ibs 13 oz when she was born. She is such a cute chubby little baby! See more pictures here.

24 Week Appointment

2010-05-06T10:05:00.002-06:00

I went to my 24 week appointment today. Everything looks good, the baby's heart rate is great and he is moving around like crazy! The doctor said that babies this far along should be moving around 10 times a day and I just looked at him and said yeah he probably does that in an hour, we have a very active little guy! Apparently I have also been getting Braxton Hicks and I didn't even realize it, I thought I was just over working my body :)

I have been feeling better than ever, I still get a bit of pain in my back and hips but have learned to deal with it. I dropped out of physical therapy because honestly I think it did absolutely nothing but made things worse! I am starting to feel tired again, I come home from work and take a 2 hour nap before I can do anything else!

Kody is finishing up in Family Medicine rotation this week, I think he has really enjoyed it! He will begin Internal Medicine on Monday, we are both not looking forward to that rotation again!

Half Way There!

2010-04-05T09:10:00.002-06:00

Today I hit the halfway mark, 20 weeks down 20 more to go!

It was so fun to see the little guy on Thursday and to find out we are having a boy. The best part was watching Kody grin from ear to ear as he watch the ultrasound and to see how excited he was when he found out we were having a boy!

Out little boy is an active one! He is always moving around, the ultrasound tech even said he was a very active baby. We weren't sure at first if we would get to find out what we were having because number one he was being modest and crossed his legs and two he wouldn't stay in one spot for more than a second, the tech had to be super quick to get the picture!

I went to physical therapy on Friday and I NEVER want to go back! I was in so much pain Friday I just wanted to cry! I guess the baby is sitting really low in my hips and has messed up my alignment, one hip turns out one way and the other turns out the other way so neither one of them are centered plus my right hip is much higher than my left one. As spoken by the physical therapist my hips are "way out of whack!" They realigned me and we did so exercises and stretches, when I was done it really hurt and then as the day went on it hurt even more! They say it will be worse before it gets better! So I am doing all of my homework stretches at night so I hopefully wont have to go for much longer. I go every week for the next little while.

Kody is in his last week of his surgery rotation and is glad to be done! He starts family medicine next week and funny enough he was assigned to my family's long time family doctor!!

It's a.........

2010-04-01T16:37:00.004-06:00

BOY!!!!

(The baby wouldn't give us a good profile picture)

Such a pain in my back

2010-03-23T09:42:00.003-06:00

Well this baby has decided to make this pregnancy as much fun as possible! I have been having really bad back pains and cramping. At my last doctor's appointment my doctor was concerned and told me to stop exercising and not to lift anything heavy. Well the pain has gotten worse and my doc is really concerned, his nurse practitioner told me it was a sign of preterm labor so I get to do physical therapy now! The NP said I had two options - I could go about doing what I have been doing and ignore the problem and end up on bed rest or I could do physical therapy and see if that helps, I chose physical therapy. My first appointment is next Friday, they are going to do an assessment to see what exactly is causing the pain (the NP thinks the baby might be sitting too low in my hips). The plan right now is to do it every other week until I have the baby but they will know better when I go to my first appointment. Oh and I have also had really bad acid reflux, I thought I was dieing from a heart attack Sunday night it was so bad, thank goodness I am married to a soon to be doctor because I am one paranoid girl!

As much fun as this pregnancy has been thus far, I am still so excited for this little one! I am starting to feel it kicking and moving around in me, such an amazing feeling. We are so happy and blessed for this little one!

Only 10 more days until we get to see this little one moving around in the ultrasound!!!

No April Fooling

2010-03-16T12:21:00.001-06:00

We are scheduled for our anatomy ultrasound on April 1st (unless we have to reschedule it again).

What do you think we will have, do our poll on the side.

16 Week Appointment

2010-03-11T11:10:00.002-07:00

This morning I went to my 16 week appointment and everything is looking good. He found the baby's heart rate right away, it was at 150. He said that I am healthy and on track. I received my results back from the intergrated screening and everything is normal.

We find out the sex in a couple of weeks. I am trying to get it schedule but I am having a hard time trying to find a time Kody can go, we will let you know when that is.

I have been feeling a lot better, I only seem to get sick in the mornings now and I am a little less tired.

We are so excited to meet this little one!

Rite Aid Deal

2010-02-24T10:15:00.005-07:00

Ever since I found out I was pregnant I have been stocking up on baby products that I know I will need. Rite Aid has a great deal on Johnson + Johnson Baby Lotion this week. They have their lotion, wash and shampoo for buy one get one for penny. They are priced at around $4.29 - $5.50, stack this deal with some coupons and you are going to get some good deals. Here are a few coupons out there:

$5/$20 Coupon available at Rite Aid’s AdPerk site

$1.00/1 – Johnson’s Baby Product – (smartsource.com)

$1.00/1 – Johnson’s Head to Toe foaming wash – (johnsonsbaby.com)

$1.00/1 (IE) – Johnson’s Shampoo – (bricks.coupons.com)

$1.00/1 (FF) – Johnson’s Shampoo – (bricks.coupons.com)

$1.00/1 – Johnson’s Shampoo, any – (johnsonsbaby.com)

$1.00/1 – Johnson’s Head to Toe baby wash – (johnsonsbaby.com)

$1.00/1 (IE) – Johnson’s Shampoo – (bricks.coupons.com)

$1.00/1 (FF) – Johnson’s Shampoo – (bricks.coupons.com)

$1.00/1 – Johnson’s Baby Care Product 14-15 oz Ad Perk Coupon

I got ten bottles, a combination of lotion and wash and spent about $12.00 ($1.20 per bottle). I got some of the more pricier lotions and forgot some of my coupons at home, so if you are smarter than me and remember all of your coupons and get the cheaper bottles you can get an even better deal!

P.S. Even though you are getting one bottle for a penny you can still use a coupon on that bottle you got for a penny. For example Buy one for $4.29 get one for a penny use two $1.00 off coupons.

February Update on the Crowells

2010-02-18T10:59:00.001-07:00

So the most exciting thing in our lives right now is the anticipation for our baby to arrive! It has been a long journey to get here and we hope everything goes smooth throughout the pregnancy. I have been super sick, it is a battle to get up every morning to go to work because I know the second I open my eyes the nausea will come and stay pretty much all day until I go to bed! Everyone says it will get better in my second trimester, well I am a few days away from being in my second trimester and I think the morning sickness has gotten worse plus I seem to get even more tired! No complaints here though, I am very grateful for this little bean, I just look forward to the burst of energy everyone keeps saying is on its way! I haven't gained any weight yet which my sister-in-laws reassure me is normal in your first trimester! Speaking of my sister-in-laws (and sister) I have such wonderful ones, thank you Alissa, Chesney and Mindy, you guys have already given me so much great advice. I can't imagine being the first one in the family to have a baby, I would be calling the nurse everyday! It is going to be crazy in the Goldhardt house with all the grandbabies coming this year -- Alissa just had Sadie in August, Mindy is have a little girl in April, Chesney is having a little boy in May and I am having one in August! It will be so much fun to have so many cousins the same age! Plus on Kody's side of the family his little sister Talisha is having a little girl in March!

Kody is busy with school, he just finished his OB/GYN rotation and actually really enjoyed OB but hated GYN, no complaints here :) He is currently in his surgery rotation which means never seeing him. He is such a smarty pants, and no he still doesn't know what specialty he wants to do, so stop asking :)

Guess What.....

2010-02-10T11:53:00.006-07:00

We're Pregnant!!

Sorry this isn't the best pictures but we don't have a scanner so I took a picture of a picture with my camera phone! :) I am 12 weeks and two days pregnant and my due date is August 23rd!

We are soooo excited and can't wait to find out what we are having and to meet the little bean!

We are so thankful for prayer, the priesthood and fertility doctors!!

Newborn Portraits

2010-01-28T13:00:00.001-07:00

I just put up some newborn portraits I did, go here to see more.

My family is talented...

2010-01-21T16:14:00.003-07:00

Today I was catching up on my blog reading and was looking at my cousins new website. She has a bunch of cute things she makes and sells at affordable prices. You need to check it out, go here.

Some of my favorites:

Cute headbands for only $3.00 or 2/$5.00
Dyed cloth diapers made into burp clothes (so cute) only $4.00

Baby wipe cases for only $10.00

And her Temple bags, these bags fold out so you can put your temple clothes in them! Only $40.00

Baby Landon

2010-01-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

I did these newborn pictures for a friend a few weeks ago.

See more pictures here.

Its been awhile...

2010-01-12T17:28:00.002-07:00

So I have been really lazy and haven't posted in awhile. The truth is there is nothing real exciting going on right now. I was sick for about 4 weeks and I am still trying to fight off all of the gunk in my lungs but feel a million times better! Kody is in his OB/GYN rotation and I don't think he will be jumping into that residency anytime soon, fine by me! That's about it, we have been real exciting these past couple of weeks. I have a few shoots I need to post but who knows when I will get around to that :)

Oh my niece Sadie is in the ICU at Primary Children's hospital with RSV. It has been sad seeing her hooked up to so many machines but she is doing a lot better now, remember her in your prayers!

Anyway, that's it - kind of a boring post!

3 years 3 months 3 weeks 3 days 3hours

2009-12-24T16:20:00.001-07:00

This is how long we have been married as of right now. Merry Christmas Tine!

Greenwell Family Portraits

2009-12-21T09:07:00.002-07:00

I did these pictures for a friend I hadn't seen since high school! See more pictures here.

Nothing but sick

2009-12-16T09:21:00.003-07:00

Well I have a lot of things I want to post especially some shoots I have done, but I have been so sick! I am starting to finally get my voice back but man this was the worst cold I have ever had! I blame my husband for being around all of those sick kids and probably bringing this home! Just kidding, I work at a hospital and I am around sick people all day, just one of the perks!!! Kody has been really helpful, he gets up several times in the middle of the night when I can't hardly breath, even if he has to get up at 5am. I have the best husband ever!!! The worst part is that I have been super busy at work so I haven't been able to take anytime off!! Thank goodness for cold medicine!

Anyway, I just wanted to post that my dear brother returns home from his mission tomorrow! I can't believe two years have gone by already, he is such a great missionary! It will be fun to have him home, he is such a character! He will be coming home to a lot of new family members, 7 to be exact! Welcome home Tommy boy!

Webb Family Portraits

2009-12-09T07:09:00.001-07:00

Go here to see more pictures from this shoot.

Baby Kloee

2009-12-02T11:35:00.005-07:00

I did this cute little baby's pictures a few weeks ago.

She is such a doll.

See more pictures here.

This weeks groceries

2009-11-16T09:43:00.007-07:00

This week I went to Smith's and found some ok deals. I am running low on cereal so that was my main focus. Smith's currently has their General Mills cereal on sale for $2.50 and when you buy four you save $4.00, so it is basically $1.50. Combine that sale with coupons and you get some good prices on cereal. You can find a couple coupons at coupons.com for general mills cereal and you can go here and print some (make sure you hit your back button twice to have it print two coupons). Make sure you get the cereal on sale and you can only do 8 per transaction, I had to do two transactions.

Below is everything I got at smiths, I had coupons for the other stuff but I honestly can't remember where I got them. Before coupons and savings I would have spent $37.21 on everything, with coupons and savings I only paid $6.01!

I also went to Winco this week, sorry I didn't take a picture. I bought: two loaves of bread, 6 apples, celery, soap, 2 packets of gravy, carrots, 2 boxes of brownie mix, green onions, laundry detergent, canola oil and three cans of soup and only spent $17.82. The best part is I only had $5.48 in coupons the rest were just good prices! I am really impressed with their produce prices!

Toys R Us game deal!

2009-11-11T09:54:00.003-07:00

Look at this great deal Toys R Us is having. Games for only $1.99 after rebate! plus buy $25 in Hasbro games and get a $10 gift card to ToysRus.

Deal Seniro:

Candy Land $3.99

Chutes and Ladders $3.99

Memory $3.99

Hi-ho Cherry-o $3.99

Break the Ice $3.99

Ants in the Pants $3.99

Cootie $3.99

Total: 27.93 (plus tax)

Submit $14 in rebates and get a $10.00 gift card

Final Price: $3.93 for SEVEN games! That's only .56 EACH

Thanks Fabulessly Frugal!

Family Portriats

2009-11-10T15:42:00.002-07:00

I did Kyson, Tori and Wyatt's family pictures this last weekend while we were in Bear Lake. See more pictures here.

Changes to website

2009-11-04T10:27:00.004-07:00

My photography website got a face lift!

Check it out at cgphotodesign.blogspot.com

Couponing 101

2009-11-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

I have had a couple of people ask me how I save money with coupons, so I thought I would give you a little crash course on couponing.

To begin you need coupons
- Online Coupons: I tend to get a lot of my coupons from online. There are a couple places you can go to get coupons: coupons.com, redplum.com, smartsource.com, and my favorite is afullcup.com, you can type in a specific product and they will let you know if there are any coupons for it. When I first started I would print off every coupon and would end up not using most of them, which was a waste of ink. Now I only print coupons if it is something I know I am going to get or if it is a high quality coupon (high amount, very likely to be combined with a sale).
- Coupon Inserts: You can get a lot of coupons from your Sunday paper and now in select areas of Utah you can get the redplum inserts in the mail each week with your grocery store ads. I like to clip these coupons even though they aren’t really something I use, you never know what sales stores are going to have and you just might wish you kept that coupon.
- Coupons in stores: When I do my grocery shopping I like to grab the coupons that they have in the aisles, I have found lots of coupons this way. Some stores will even have books with coupons in them; you have to look for them.
- Coupons are all over just keep your eye out for them, cereal boxes, in the newspaper, with samples, etc.

The next step is looking in the ads and doing your homework
Each week I look at the ads and see what I can get. The best way to use your coupons is to combine your coupon with a sale. When combining a good sale with a coupon you will get it for very cheap or sometimes even free!

Buy and stockpile
The BIGGEST key to couponing is to stockpile. When you grocery shop with coupons your not making a menu and sticking to those specific items, you are getting things on sale and stockpiling them (getting a lot of it). By doing this you can combine what you get in other weeks to create a menu. Obviously you will need to buy things like meat, and perishable items each week but for the most part you need to stock pile! At first you will probably spend more money on groceries because you are trying to get your pantry started plus you will be getting normal groceries - give it a few weeks and you will see HUGE savings!

I will try and post deals that I see, but my pantry is so full that I don’t think I will be shopping for a few weeks! Let me know if you have any questions!

This is a great way to save money!

Kid Portraits

2009-10-27T12:47:00.001-06:00

I did Sitenili's pictures (my sister Mindy's kid) this past weekend.

See more pictures here. He is such a pretty little boy :)

Great Deals!

2009-10-20T13:27:00.005-06:00

So I had the opportunity to go to the new store Winco and check out the deals. Boy did I find some AMAZING deals! I wasn't feeling well and had just come from the doctors office so I was in and out but with their grand opening promotions and coupons I had some great finds. My total with the promotions and coupons came to $26.34! That includes 8 boxes of cereal, 10lbs of chicken, 12 pack of toilet paper, 4 cans of veggies, 3 cans of spaghetti sauce, 4 cans of chili, 2 cans of OJ, a can of condensed milk, 10lbs of bananas, 2 bags of chex mix, 3lbs of apples, and a 10lb bag of potatoes! I am going to try and go again this week when I am up to wondering around the store! I hope after their grand opening they continue with their great prices! Another great deal, Smiths Market place had the following two toys on sale so naturally they where gone quickly. So I went to Walmart had them price match plus I had coupons. Before the price match it was almost $50.00, after price match $24.00 after coupons $13.49! I got both toys for only $13.49!

Gift Idea!

2009-10-13T14:42:00.000-06:00

Give the gift of memories! I now have gift certificates for any photo session or design, it would make a great Christmas gift!

Also, in the coming months I will be doing some sessions throughout Utah and not charging a travel fee so book now!

For more info email me at cgphotodesign@gmail.com!

Birthday Present

2009-10-13T08:01:00.005-06:00

I just wanted you all to know what a great husband I have. For my birthday he got me a spa package! On Saturday my mother and I went to the spa all day! It was so relaxing and fun to spend time with my mom. We got everything you can image, facials, back facials, massages, waxing, pedicures, manicures....it was awesome! Thanks Kody and mom!

Family Portraits

2009-10-12T10:48:00.001-06:00

I did Jim and Chesney's family pictures a few weeks ago.

See more pictures here.

Family Portraits

2009-10-07T15:06:00.000-06:00

I did the Fiedler's family pictures this past weekend.

See more pictures here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TINE!!!

2009-09-27T14:31:00.002-06:00

I am a day late in putting this up , but Christines birthday was yesterday. I just wanted to wish the most beautiful, smart, supportive, sexy etc... woman ever a happy birthday. I am one lucky guy!

Coupons

2009-09-25T09:27:00.002-06:00

I usually get my coupons from the redplum mail insert, it comes with the Smiths and Albertsons adds. I also use replum.com and coupons.com.

Albertsons has a great deal on cereal this week, buy 10 of the participating items and save $10.00 instantly, so you get them for $1.50 each. Combine this with coupons and you will get some great deals.

Couponing

2009-09-24T09:43:00.005-06:00

Because we are in medical school and everything related to school is SO expensive, I have been trying new ways to save money! I have recently been introduced to couponing! Couponing is a whole new idea about grocery shopping and you save so much money!! I am still new at it but I have already cut my grocery bill into less than half of what I used to spend on groceries per week! The whole idea behind couponing is that you combine coupons with sales and stock pile on those things. You may think how can you live off of 10 boxes of cereal and 10 cans of soup for the week? The thing with couponing is you stock pile, so I will use things I got in past grocery trips to complete my menu for that week!

Last week I went to Smiths and Albertsons. All of the groceries I got are in the pictures above (some of the stuff I got last week were not on sale but I need them).

At Smiths my total came to $34.03 before my savings and coupons, and I paid $12.34 out of pocket

At Albertsons my total came to $20.66 before savings and I paid $5.16!

So I should have paid $54.69 but I only paid $17.50!! I am still not the best at it but I am getting there!

I will try to share with you all of my great deals each week!

Julie's Wedding

2009-09-18T16:19:00.003-06:00

I finished editing the pictures from Julie's wedding, if you want to see more pictures go here and here.

Family Portraits

2009-09-16T09:35:00.002-06:00

This family hired me a few weeks ago to do their family portraits, see more pictures here. Their little girl was so cute!

Playdough Cookies

2009-09-08T11:04:00.002-06:00

I made these yummy cookies for the bridal shower and I keep getting asked for the recipe, so here it is:

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
assorted colors of paste food coloring

DIRECTIONS
In a bowl cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir till soft dough forms.

Divide dough into fourths. Tint each with a different food color. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350

Working with half of each color, shape dough into 3/4 inch balls and for each cookie place 1 pink, 1 green, 1 blue and 1 orange ball together to make 1 large ball (or whatever colors you decide). Shape into a 12 inch long roll (like a snake), starting at one end, coil roll to make a 2 3/4 inch round cookie. Place cookies 3 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake cookies for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and store in an airtight container.

These are such yummy cookies and would be great to make with kids!

Bridal Shower

2009-09-08T10:52:00.003-06:00

My sisters and I (and my mom) gave Julie (my sister) a Bridal Shower.

I love how the food table turned out!

Julie's Bridals

2009-09-04T16:39:00.001-06:00

I did Julie's Bridal pictures a few weeks ago.

See more pictures here.

Happy Three Years!

2009-08-31T11:33:00.003-06:00

Three years ago today Kody and I were married! It has been an awesome three years, I wouldn't trade them for anything! Unfortunately, Kody is on call today so he left at around 4:00 a.m. and I won't get to see him until tomorrow evening. I don't even get to see my husband on our anniversary :( Because we knew Kody would be on call, we celebrated on Saturday. It was sooo nice to have Kody to myself! We did a session at the temple, we went out to eat, went to a movie and then went out for ice cream! We had a great evening!

I love Kody so much, he works so hard for us! He is everything I could ever ask for in a husband and I know that someday he will be a wonderful father! I love you Kody!

I'm Married??

2009-08-28T10:44:00.002-06:00

You would think that I was single again as much as Kody is gone. He started his rotation in Internal Medicine a few weeks back and has done nothing but work. He has been averaging over 90 hours a week! It's not fun not seeing him very much but I'm not complaining, that is medical school!

Me on the other hand, I have just been busy with work and photography. I am trying to find my path in life :), I thought I would have another kind of job by now, but the lord has other plans. I am looking at graduate school and plan on applying within the next couple of months, I just have to figure out what program I want to do. I am debating between a Master's of Education or a Master's in Business Administration. I have to decide soon because they have two very different entrance exams!

Anyway, that is what we have been up to, not much! And if anyone wants to spend the night at our place when Kody is on call I wouldn't complain! Seriously, I hate being alone in that place, I don't know why, but it creeps me out!

Have a good weekend!

Central Park Reunion

2009-08-21T14:05:00.001-06:00

Just a reminder to all of you who have even been in the Central Park Ward, we have a reunion tonight.

When: August 21st at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Central Park Ward

I hope you all can make it, my mom has really put a lot of work into this!!!

Family Portraits

2009-08-17T12:37:00.004-06:00

I did some family pictures for an old friend of mine a few weeks back. Her little girl is turning one and they wanted some pictures done before her birthday. I think they turned out cute, Macie is such a cute little girl! See more of the pictures here.

Camping

2009-08-17T10:58:00.003-06:00

Kody and I had a great weekend. We went up to Butterfly lake up in the Uintas and went camping (Sorry I forgot to take pictures). We did a lot of fishing and hiking unfortunately we didn't catch much but it was nice to get away. Most of the time it was really nice but Saturday morning a storm came in and at about 8:00 in the morning we decided to get everything packed before it got worse. We were packed and out of there by 9:00 a.m., it felt like winter and the fog was really thick. After we left it snowed, so we left just in time. All in all we had a great weekend spending time together.

Kody starts his first rotation in internal medicine today at the VA Hospital!

Friday Freebie

2009-08-13T09:15:00.002-06:00

Its not exactly Friday but I won't be in tomorrow so I thought I would share this. If you take this test from Motor Oil Matters and get 80% or higher you get a $10.00 gift certificate to Jiffy Lube. Check it out here.

Thanks Utah Deal Diva!

Boards Exam

2009-08-10T09:48:00.003-06:00

Well Kody had his BOARD's exam this past Saturday! We won't know how he did for another 4-6 weeks! I am just glad that it is done and over with! I get to see Kody this week and then he starts his rotations in internal medicine at the VA Hospital.

Engagement Pictures

2009-08-03T11:19:00.003-06:00

I did Shawn and Julie's engagement pictures this last weekend. For those of you who don't know they are getting married September 9th. To see more pictures go here.

Rain Gutter Regatta

2009-07-30T13:52:00.002-06:00

Our ward had a rain gutter regatta a few weeks ago. Kody made a boat and it won an award...the slowest boat! He thought putting a firework on the back of it would make it launch but it just caught on fire! It was funny to watch.

Senior Pictures

2009-07-30T10:40:00.002-06:00

I did Tori's senior pictures the other day, she is such a cutie! See more pictures here.

I have Shawn + Julie's engagement pictures coming up this weekend!

Warning...spider bite pictures

2009-07-24T11:16:00.002-06:00

While we were in Missouri I was bit by something. It didn't look to bad in Missouri but when I got off the plane my entire inner thigh was swollen, sore and burning. We went to the doctor first thing the next day and he said it was a spider bite probably a brown recluse! It freaks me out to think a big ugly spider was crawling on me! The pictures below are of the bite once it started to get better and the swelling went down. Its been two and half weeks and I still have the bite but it looks a lot better now!

Photoshop Class

2009-07-20T12:23:00.005-06:00

These past couple of weeks I have been taking an advanced PhotoShop class. I have learned a lot of new fun tricks. Some of the things they taught I already knew how to do but they showed us easier and faster ways to do them! It was a great class! Here are a few assignments I had to do.

One color in picture

Vintage brushed look

Masking

Textures

Story Boards

Collages

More Missouri Fun

2009-07-16T10:45:00.006-06:00

Sorry I have posted a lot of pictures lately! Beware this post as a lot of pictures as well! We had so much fun in Missouri, here are a few more pictures.

Katelynn is getting into something

Alexis

I don't think Madisen ever took her swimsuit off

Katelynn and Ashlee

Ashlee sure did love driving the lawn mower around

Fireworks

Kinley covering her ears from the fireworks, Kinley sure does love her "other" grandma!

Papa and Alexis

Bonfire

Ashlee and Alexis

Sitenili

Matthew

Madisen and Kinley

Chesney and Alexis

Fun at the waterfall

2009-07-16T10:33:00.003-06:00

All of the kids had so much fun playing in Grandpa's waterfall!

Kinley and the Frog

2009-07-15T11:47:00.002-06:00

Kinley loved all of the bugs and animals out in Missouri! The first day we got there Kody found her a frog, she loved that frog so much she would even pick it up on her own. Unfortunately the frog passed on, probably from all of the "love" Kinley gave it! Here are some pictures of her with her frog, Madisen wanted nothing to do with all of the bugs!

Grandpa's Lake

2009-07-14T09:00:00.002-06:00

One of the best things about Missouri is Grandpa's lake! We love playing, swimming and fishing in it!

Adams Family Reunion

2009-07-13T16:40:00.004-06:00

We just got back from a family reunion in Missouri (my mom's family), we had a blast! I have many more pictures to come!
We are getting to be such a big family!

We are only missing Mindy, David and Sitenili, they hadn't made it out yet. And we are missing Thomas who is on a mission!

Back to this Blog

2009-07-13T11:06:00.000-06:00

So lately I have been blogging on my other blog and haven't touched this one in awhile. I have decided to just blog on this one, so I will start posting more!

Wyatt

2009-04-28T13:32:00.001-06:00

I took pictures of Wyatt last weekend. Check out more pictures here.

Fiedler Furniture

2009-04-17T10:12:00.003-06:00

My brother-in-law started his own furniture company, he makes custom furniture.

Everyone should check it out he does a great job!

http://fiedlerfurniture.blogspot.com/